1789/Dragonfly's and Rainbows

Dragonfly's and Rainbows
Date of Scene:	03 August 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	1108, Dragonfly (Arazello)

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Karolina (1108) has posed:
The skies above Metropolis, noon-ish. It's a gloriously sunny day below, with white fluffy clouds high in the sky and people moving about their daily business down below. And the iridescent presence of human-shaped rainbow flitting above the screen of clouds. Enjoying the opportunity to indulge by skimming the upper edges of the moister air for no better reason than it's there and she feels like it. She's far enough up that most people on the ground would be unlikely to even notice the shimmering female-shaped object, but with the corona of radiant light a beacon of oddness for those high enough to spot her.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
     The skies above Metropolis, noon-ish. It's a gloriously sunny day below, with white fluffy clouds high in the sky and people moving about their daily business down below. And the black-clad, platinum-haired presence of a flying Barbie flits between the clouds. Dragonfly, face determined, is practicing her aerobatics and speed, treating the clouds like mogels on a ski slope as she passes between them, each time going faster and faster, the velocity increase stopping only as the bare beginnings of a sonic boom start to build up in her wake. She, too, is unlikely to be spotted from down below, but she can spot the odd iridescence as she powers her way through one of her exercises and stops dead in the air to stare.
    And of course her black form stand out against the white clouds when viewed from nearby.

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    It takes Karolina a few moments to note the black clad Barbie, choosing to still her own motion in favor of floating up a little higher to watch until the other flyer stops and then the radiant creature offers a wave. By comparison, not fast, or at least, not trying to be fast, given the way she barrel rolls and then elects to loop closer to Dragonfly, calling out in English that, if anything, holds the flavor of California and the timbre of a young woman as she calls out,"Hi there! Hello!"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly waves absently as she watches Karolina's approach with just a hint of apprehension on her face. She then shakes her head and mutters something to herself before breaking out into a (mostly honest) smile.
    "Why hello there. I'm not used to meeting people up here, so I was a bit taken aback." She gestures with her arm to vaguely encompass the clouds. "I'm Dragonfly. Well, that's the name I go by, I mean."
    Beat.
    "I'm a super-heroine," she clarifies. The aghast expression on her face making it clear how painfully aware she is of the vapidity of that extra.

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "That makes two of us." Karolina offers, some details of her dazzling white smile probably lost in the general radiance of her as she loops a slow circle, traling motes of cosmic energy in the process,"I don't... really have a super-name. I mean, sort of? I used to go by Lucy-In-The-Sky... after the song? But well... my name's not even Lucy, so it just seemed... weird, after a time. I love your outfit... do you work with one of the local teams?" she chatters brightly as she orbits the other flyer with unrepressed delight.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Well, I'm kind of one of the Superbuddies with Booster Gold." Dragonfly's face gets very defensive, along with her stance as she waves her hands in front of herself warding off opinion. "Don't get me wrong, we're still in need of ... uh ... polish, but our heart's in the right place and Blue Beetle has some very good ideas on how to get ourselves out of the bit of a slump we've been having."
    She reddens a bit.
    "I kind of stepped up to be the treasurer because, well, money was a mess."
    Time for a change of subject.
    "The outfit? It's not actually mine," Dragonfly says as she glances down at her form hanging in the sky. "My ... patron ... supplies it, really. Some of it's me. The zipper is mine. The heels. (Yeah, I know, not practical, but they look good.) The sunglasses. The rest is his ... ? Its? ... basic design, including the logo and the wings."
    Pause.
    "Uh ... and the eyes."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    There's no sign from Karolina one way or another,"That's what counts. Where your hearts at." she folds her hands before her briefly,"And it is easier to get things done with money, isn't it?" she folds her legs up, it hardly making a difference as to whether she's standing or contorted like a pretzel when she's floating so far off the ground to start out with,"Patron? And I like it... what about your eyes though?" she chooses to float closer curiously.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly screws up her face in a worried frown. "He, uh, it?, kind of puts its mark on me. My eyes are a bit weird." She carefully and slowly removes her sunglasses, revealing the unblinking, multifaceted insect eyes beneath. "This is why I insisted on sunglasses. People don't react well to my eyes." A little nervous giggle. "Honestly I sometimes spook myself when I catch myself in the mirror."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    The rainbow girl floats closer still, the white of her teeth a gleam in the iridescence of the rest of her as she reaches out but elects not to touch at the last moment,"I think they're beautiful." is what she has to say about it,"I'd love to paint you some time." she can't help but blurt afterwards, the shifting corona of her color sliding towards the pink before she elects to flit away and circle back again slowly,"But I've spent a few years living among the Skrull, so maybe it's... different. I don't know." she clears her throat awkwardly,"But it's lovely! Anyways! I think!"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Well, that was unexpected, if the slack-jawed look that crosses Dragonfly's face is anything to go by. She just hovers there staring ... well, OK, let's face it, she's always staring with those unblinking eyes, isn't she? But the slack jaw is there. For a while. Finally she regains her composure.
    "That's ... a first," she admits. "Usually when people look at Dragonfly they look at the body. Sometimes the face. But the eyes repulse. Just let me savour the experience of someone liking the eyes a bit before you go and do something weird?" There's a half-hearted laugh with that, like she's attempting jocularity but ... 'ha ha only serious'.
    Beat.
    "Paint?"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "Well, you /are/ beautiful and clad in skin-tight black... can you really fault them for looking?" Karolina asks with a laugh,"Of course... aerodynamic properties aside. But... yes... where was I going with that? Uh... ah! Your eyes. They're pretty. I love that shade of green, and I can only imagine how acute your vision must be." but then she's asking about paint and the rainbow hued girl swoops closer again,"Yes. Paint. Why not? I mean... I should be working on something now, but it was... sort of boring, so I decided to come up here instead. And I would /love/ to paint you. Really. I mean, if you'd be willing to let me?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Uh ... sure, I guess?" Dragonfly says. "Just ... be aware that the paint will go away when I switch forms. I'm not sure how that works, but when I switch back and forth I'm back to my normal self."
    Pause. Then laugh.
    "Just kidding, I know what you meant!" Dragonfly makes a show of swooping away as if expecting to be hit for the joke, laughing. "But if you really want to use me as a model for your painting, that's fine."
    Her face turns a bit wry. "You'd think the eyes would make a difference, wouldn't you, but you'd be wrong. I can't see any better or worse than I do with normal eyes. They just look weird. In fact I can fly so high -- almost to space -- but I can't see a damned thing more than a normal person. It makes for difficult crime patrols, let me tell you!"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
Karolina's too far away to reach out and swat with a hand, but she does elect to form just a small ball of brightly colored plasma in her hand to toss in Dragonfly's direction, little more than to sting, if it doesn't just go entirely wide,"So you switch... back, too? I can alter my form, but... this is me. The others just... pretending to be like everyone else." she beams in delight,"Really? I imagine that would be a little disappointing?" pause,"Have you eaten lunch? Maybe we could go get something, together?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I ... haven't eaten, no," Dragonfly says. "And come to think of it, I don't think I've ever done anything 'domestic' like that in the public eye while being Dragonfly." The coloured plasma hits and dissipates without comment or, it seems, much notice even. "So yeah, I switch. I lead a double life that switches back and forth at the drop of a hat. And both of them are ... well, I guess, me. At some level or another. It gets confusing."
    She gets lost in thought for a second, but apparently the thought was related to the question.
    "Abdullah's Deli?" she suggests. "They have a Reuben that's to die for."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
"Oh you should! It's easier in Mutant Town, of course... but it's so much fun to see people's reactions when you're just... there for lunch." there's a laugh as she dips her head,"I understand. I came home because as lovely as Xa'vin is... having to deal with the politics just gets so exhausting after a while. But I miss the freedom of just being able to... be. And I know I could... at least I get the choice? But at the same time... while going for food, like this... is okay, I wouldn't want to have to deal with the questions every day all the time. And a deli sounds good! I haven't had a reuben in /ages/. I did have pizza with a guy from Thundera a few weeks ago, though. He was nice."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Xa'vin? Thundera?" Dragonfly looks a little bewildered at the names. "I ... should probably mention that I'm pretty new to this gig. Before ... uh ... this happened, I was just an en... office worker. I didn't pay much attention to big events; just the accounts and the shopping and the cooking and the cleaning and stuff like that. I mean obviously I know about Superman and that bat guy and the X types and such, but only ... vaguely."
    She peers downward and points while speaking. "I think it's over there. How fast can you fly, BTW? I do about Mach 4 if I push it, but ... I learned really early on not to do that near cities."
    There's probably a story there.
    "Let's hit the dirt." She drops. Just drops. Not propelling, just falling and appearing to have a ball as the wind rushes past her.

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "My wife." Karolina offers,"Prince Xa'vin of the Skrull." there's no conflict in her verbage as far as she's concerned at least, leaving the explanation of Thundera alone, waggling a hand when it comes to the question of her speed. She doesn't... drop, like Dragonfly does, but with a contrail of shimmering light streaks after the other woman with a whoop of delight, winding about acrobatically to mark the other womans fall like a golden-hued satellite.
    Words are set aside, at least temporarily, because Karolina's already learnt about just how pleasant swallowing a bug is at a hundred k's an hour, let alone their present velocity, and it's something she's no interest in experiencing a second time.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Minor course corrections take place as the pair plummet to the ground, Dragonfly refining her trajectory as she can see the ground more clearly. Finally the pair close in on a small neighbourhood park. Close in fast. Dragonfly doesn't look like she's stopping. Until, that is, the final, absolute, last second when she flips backward, and lands, both feet, one hand touching to form a tripod, left hand held out to one side like a bizarre airplane wing or something. Her heels barely clack as she hits the ground.
    "DID IT!" she shouts, standing up and pumping her arm. "NAILED I..." She pauses, glances over at Karolina as she arrives, blushes, and then tries to walk back her intense enthusiasm a bit.
    "I've been practicing entrances," she explains lamely.

Karolina (1108) has posed:
Karolina's concerned at the speed with which she approaches the ground, tapering off nervously only to put on a fresh burst when it looks like Dragonfly might wind up creating a crater, and winds up coming to a stop a few meters off the ground. There's applause from the iridescent girl before she elects to alight far more daintily, barefooted, as much as can be told through her aura,"A lovely entrance. Very heroic. I, admittedly, thought that you were going to hit the ground really super hard for a minute there, but very impressive." she asserts with a bright laugh,"So you were an office worker, you said? Before you got powers?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Yes," Dragonfly says in a tone of voice that indicates someone honest telling a half-truth. "I managed accounts. Did some HR work too." The insect eyes are very good for not looking like you won't make eye contact. "Even now, actually, I still do that kind of work. I'm managing a group at a local firm." Less evasive than before, but still not quite saying the whole story. "What about you? Doesn't being..." She gestures with her fingers like sparkly things. "...you know, a bit glow-y kind of interfere with a normal life here?"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
Karolina extends a hand towards her,"So how far away are we from the deli?" she asks with a bright smile,"No judgment here." she noticed the evasiveness, even if she's incorrectly guessing on the reason for it,"Oh no. I can... adjust myself, enough, to at least look human when I need to. But well, if you're going like that, there's no need for me to change... is there? As to... jobs, I'm sort of a student? I expect Xa'vin will need me back home eventually, but right now I'm just... happy to be able to be back on Earth for a while."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Just a block or so," Dragonfly says cheerfully. "I used the park for landing because I wanted to practice this pose. I saw it in a documentary and it looked so cool I had to figure it out for myself." She lifts up her leg and looks behind at the integrated boot. "Thing is, it was a guy who did it and ... well ... heels aren't a thing for them. And it takes a lot more timing than I thought it would."
    Small embarrassed giggle.
    "First time I tried it I wound up a good 10cm in the ground. I mean it looked very impressive and everything. Until I tried to take a step forward and fell flat on my face."
    Her eyes, shielded from view by the sunglasses, turn toward the street. "I think it's OK in this neighbourhood to show up like our powered selves," she says. "We'll get staring. And maybe some of the ruder guys will wolf-whistle. But I don't think we'll get much more than that. And it'll be funny to actually sit and eat like a normal person while being about as abnormal as it gets."
    Her head swivels and she seems to regard the extended hand. "I ... don't want to step on customs and such, so ... is that a hand-shake you're offering or are we meant to hold hands as we walk?" She hastily adds, babbling a bit, "I mean, I know that in many places it's normal for people to hold hands when walking together so I just want to ... oh God I'm being neurotic again, aren't I?"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "Makes sense!" Karolina offers cheerfully, flicking her probably normally blond hair over a shoulder with the toss of her head,"I like heels... totally impractical for... well, almost everything... but so pretty!" she looks down and wriggles her bare toes with a shrug and gives a more insistent wiggle of her fingers and impulsively grabs for Dragonfly's hand,"To hold hands, silly. I grew up here. Promise, I'm not /that/ weirdly alien. Am I?" she asks, laughing it off a moment later.
    "Not... /here/ here. The other coast, actually... but still! I was born on Earth. I mean, yes, I am an alien... but for real. I was born in California."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly relaxes. "OK, so I was being neurotic again," she says with a wan laugh. "Li... I have friends telling me that all the time. It's kind of like the refrain of my life now." She forms a mocking tone of voice. "You're being neurotic again, Nancy!" they'll say.
    ...
    "Oh, shit, I probably shouldn't have said that. Uh ... could you kind of forgot you heard that?"
    If she had normal eyes, they'd undoubtedly be the puppy-dog eyes of someone who REALLY wants something to happen. Her hand catches Karolina's as it approaches and the pair stand with Dragonfly looking pleadingly at her.
    She sighs.
    "Can't really close that barn door now can I?" she decides. I just made it even more memorable." She lightly tugs and guides Karolina up the road. "Let's eat Reuben sandwiches. One nice thing about Dragonfly? She doesn't gain weight!"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "I think it's sweet. Trying to make sure that it wasn't like... horribly rude." she elects to try and loop her arm through Dragonfly's and give the other womans arm a light pat,"Besides, who am I going to tell? My wife? She's not even on the planet." she endeavors to reassure with a laugh.
    "And you're trying, you know? To be a hero. It's hard, I did it for a while. I kind of miss it, but not. Because... it is really anxiety inducing, isn't it?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Thing is, I ... didn't really want this," Dragonfly says. "It wasn't anything that crossed my thought ever so I wasn't ready for it when it happened. And now I've got things to live for and ... well ... suddenly the secret stuff makes more sense, know what I mean?"
    Her voice goes a little cautious.
    "Your wife ... the prince."
    She shakes her head. "Can't be any stranger than my life, really, so I should just shut up right about now."
    As they approach the deli she points out the little fenced in area in front. "Abdullah's has the street part or the interior part. Which do you prefer? Nice sunny days I usually sit outdoors, but ... not as Dragonfly. It's your call how much staring you can take."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "It does make sense." Karolina agrees, then laughs a little at Dragonfly's confusion,"It's... well, a long story. And I suppose not one that really... matters. She was born male, but chose to change, for me, which is really sweet." there's only the difference in radiance to detect the drop of her eyes, but she rouses when she spies the deli,"Outside." she opts for with only a seconds thought,"I prefer the sun, always. And let them stare... they don't know who I am." it's her turn to pull ahead, at least a little, impatient to get to the deli now,"Besides, that way no-one's likely to try something around here... not with two obvious supers sitting out the front, yeh?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "That does sound sweet. I'm not sure I'd ever be that sweet, personally, and I'm someone who didn't want to be a hero who keeps winding up getting into fights."
    She signals the waiter as the pair sit at a table in the outdoor area. The waiter who's staring agog, shocked at the casual presence of a pair of supers. "Could we get the menu please?" she asks. "And we'll both be starting with a Reuben so get that in the works while we decide on the rest, OK?"
    It takes a while, but the question sinks in and the waiter stammers something incoherent and practically shoves the menus at the pair before beating a hasty retreat to the interior.
    "Five. Four. Three. Two. One." And as Dragonfly finishes the countdown, a mass of people come out to "surreptitiously" take selfies that "just happen" to have the supers in the background. The braver ones get a bit too close, but in their excitement fumble their phones and drop them on the pavement. All three of them. At the same time. Just as Dragonfly's fingers happen to move in a suspiciously similar direction as the trajectory of their phones.

Karolina (1108) has posed:
"Wasn't what I expected, in truth, but." Karolina shrugs easily as she taks a seat,"And a iced tea, please!" she adds onto the request,"Sweetened!" she takes up her own menu with only a sly glance Dragonfly's way. Offering a Victory sign when she notices people trying to take pictures and her most beatific smile, for all that when 'coincidence' happens she can't help but stifle a giggle behind her menu,"At least it's... a good neighborhood?" she suggests to Dragonfly.

"Some places... could get ugly... fast. So you know... we should at least try to be nice?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I don't mind the people back there," Dragonfly says, voice lowered. "It's the ones mugging two feet away that bug me. I mean, dudes, at least ask!?"
    She shudders delicately.
    "I'm just not really cut out for this gig. I valued my privacy before this and now people ... well, they're coming up to me in the streets when I'm out as Dragonfly and actually DEMANDING I do things." She sighs. "And it's not like I don't WANT to do it. Well, OK, it's exactly like I don't want to, but it's not like I'm unwilling. But ... demanding? Really? Is that how people are brought up? When I demanded things, grandma hit me with a spoon."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "My parents were actors." Karolina shrugs, as if this explains her laconic attitude about it. There's still a smile at the other womans complain,"None of us are... well, okay, some are. I know I had... no reason to suspect before everything. But, well, there's no point in complaining that we get to do something extraordinary, is there? It's not going to change the way things are."

She browses through the menu with idle curiousity as she listens,"There's a different balance for everyone... granted, I suppose that I don't have much room to talk. I'm not... out there volunteering at the moment, admittedly."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Do you get demands, though? Maybe it's just this tough girl thing I try to project as Dragonfly." She runs her hand through her hair in the girliest of all possible manners. "I mean, I'm just not good at the girly stuff. Which is weird given that I look like a damned Barbie doll. We can thank my patron for that too."
    The iced tea and two reubens arrive. "I'll have an iced tea too, sorry," Dragonfly says to the waiter. "Make mine Manhattan style, though."
    She looks across at Karolina. "Anything else on the menu catch your eye? Abdullah makes the best chopped liver if you're into that kind of thing."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "Here? No. But I'm taking a break from diplomatic wrangling between my people and various Skrull factions... soooo...." Karolina laughs,"And see, all the beauty with none of the effort... most would be happy to have it like that. I think. And order what you'd like! I'll just stick with the Reuben, chopped liver isn't really my thing." she collects her ice tea, beaming briefly at a child that passes with their parents and settling back into her seat with a small sigh of contentment.
    "Home it's all about 'you're expected to be at this event at this time wearing this outfit and make sure you shake this persons hand first, but not this one, because we want to make sure that we don't give people the impression that we support them in any way."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly winces at the description. "I'll have the chopped liver dip, then, with bagel chips," she says to the waiter. The waiter says something to her and she nods. "Yes, I know it's for two people, but don't worry. I could eat for ten and it won't show on me."
    She smiles and winks at the waiter, then turns back to Karolina. "That is close to an approximation of Hell, frankly," she says commiseratingly. "I'd go nuts and start punching people. How do you survive it?"
    

Karolina (1108) has posed:
Karolina collects her tea for a sip, vaguely appalled at the waiter with a sniff as she waits for him to shift off to go and rustle up the dip, though rather than vocalize her disapproval she spreads her hands to encompass the street,"I decided to come take a vacation and let her deal with the diplomats for a while. Our advisors agreed it was best after I managed to accidently insult the crown prince of the Bemear by complimenting his wife." there's a rueful little twist of her lips.

"Otherwise... I paint, fly, sculpt. Majesdanian architecture is lovely and there's so much I haven't had a chance to explore, yet. But by comparison... people staring at me on the streets of Earth is nothing. At least I'm not going to get a three hour lecture about my posture."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly opens her mouth. Then snaps it shut. "OK, I was about to mention that, but message received. Not welcome." Her face twists into a wide grin. "Sorry," she hastily adds. "I have a terrible sense of humour."
    The Manhattan iced tea arrives, causing a brief pause as the heroine quickly takes a sip. This leads into the quick delivery of the chopped liver platter, which naturally requires a quick sampling.
    "You know, I'm Italian blood through and through," says the platinum-blond, pale-skinned, Barbie knock-off, revealing more and more of her private life despite her best attempts. "But sometimes, just sometimes, I really wish I was brought up Jewish," she adds while sitting in a deli painfully obviously owned by an Arab. "This is one of those times."
    She shakes her head, quickly shoves in another dipped bagel chip, then carries on with her atrocious table manners in polite conversation (or so a princess might observe). "So, you mentioned painting earlier. You were serious? I mean, really, you could probably paint me from a girl's doll."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
There's a laugh from Karolina,"Well, you can just deal." she offers as she sticks out her tongue, setting aside her own tea as she reaches for half of her sandwich daintily,"I was just raised Californian. Avocado? We're good. Lots of fruit and pasta and sea food... not so much on the... sweet meats, though." she wrinkles her nose a little, squishing her sandwich methodically to make sure it will fit in her mouth when she gets to that point,"Yes!" she offers, speaking of terrible table manners, apparently she has none, or let them fly out the window, considering she has no problems saying that with her mouth full and only covering her mouth apologetically afterwards,"And why would I want to do that? If I wanted to paint a doll... I would. But it wouldn't be /you/."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly looks down at herself with a face like someone just sucked a lemon. Dipped in vinegar.
    "This? C'mon! I'm a walking Barbie doll. It's embarrassing. My ... ah ... patron looked inside my mind and found within me my concept of ideal femininity ... and out popped Barbie. In heels. Seriously, this is embarrassing. I think I single-handedly set back the women's movement by fifty years with this!"
    She pauses, takes a couple of breaths. "OK, sorry. Rant averted. Got pretty close there, though." She laughs. "Luckily I found someone who appreciates *me* better than Dragonfly; likes being with *me* instead of her. Who is me. And God I'm confused again. My brain hurts every time I think of this."
    She looks up at Karolina again. "But if you want to paint this, I'm not against the idea. I just ... don't get it. It's probably a mental block."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
"Wasp. Invisible Woman... um, Wonder Woman. Captain Marvel... Power Girl... you trying to say they aren't heroes either, just because they're beautiful?" Karolina challenges,"Or... what, because they wear revealing clothing? Equality... feminism... isn't defined by appearance, it's about what you choose to do. And bluntly, if that's what your patron pulled out of your head as your ideal of feminity, you've got no-one but yourself to blame." she munches on the Reuben again,"I also, for the record, don't know what you look like at all when you're not her. Anymore than you know more than what my outline looks like when I'm like this... so I reckon we're about even."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I've never seen Invisible Woman, to be honest," Dragonfly says deadpan. "See what I did there?"
    "But yeah, it's definitely my own stupid fault. Somewhere in my head blonde and stacked was my picture of perfection. And finding that out was ... not really an awakening I wanted. Actually this whole hero gig is that way."
    A large sigh wracks her body. (And draws attention to the features that seem to embarrass her most.) "And ... well, it gets complicated. I can't not be me. This me, I mean. But I also can't just give in and be me. This me. I need to be both. I can't pick and choose." She pauses. "I met Ben Grimm--you know, The Thing--the other day. Really nice guy, even if he did sit on my face. Real sweet fella underneath that rough exterior. Anyway, thing is, he's always The Thing. And sure I get that at first he hated it and railed against it. But ... reality forced his hand. He is The Thing and now he's accepted it. Enjoys it."
    Dragonfly looks off into the distance. "I can't do that. I have to be both Dragonfly and ... the other me. I can't stay out of Dragonfly. I tried. VERY bad things happened. I can't stay just Dragonfly. I tried. VERY bad things happened. I have to switch back and forth. And it's disorienting. And it's messy. And it's inconvenient. And it makes ... well, let's say that I had an old partner who didn't like this. My new one is more supportive."
    She turns her attention back to Karolina. "So ... are you able to capture that ... thing lurking under me? That confusion? 'Cause then it won't be a painting of a Barbie doll with wings. Then maybe I could understand why you'd want to paint me."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
"You're very punny." Karolina agree's with a shake of her head,"And it does rather look easier when you see them on the news, doesn't it?" she does fall silent and listen, collecting her tea to sip as she does so,"Wait... the Thing, sat on your... face?" she ventures with some puzzlement, mouth opening and then closing as she elects that maybe, no, she wont try to work out how that works or it might just break her poor brain.
    "I am certainly willing to try, though I expect that if I was to capture the duality it would be something that you'd probably want to... keep, hidden, for the sake of your identity? What I am... is simply part of me. I was born Majesdanian, although it took a while to... accept that. Earth was the only home I had known for most of my life."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I was trying to catch him. He was falling. I misjudged how heavy he was so he kind of fell on me. Butt-first." Dragonfly chuckles. "It's OK. I'm such a fangirl. He was great about it! Charming and funny and, well, a bit dashing too, in his rough way."
    She shakes her head. "But as for the duality; I'm not sure how you'd even go about capturing it. I mean, I'm not an artist. I'm an en... office clerk. If you give me a ruler I can draw a straight line. Sometimes. I'd leave it to your judgement. But if you genuinely want to paint me, well, sure. It's kind of flattering."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "Well, your face looks... pretty good, for someone that the Thing has been sitting on." Karolina manages as judiciously as possible before she grins at her admittance,"I'll take your word for it, sorry... men just... aren't my type. And yes, I still want to paint you... not today! I'll have to think about how best to capture you, but I would certainly like to try. It beats trying to capture the banana-ry essence of a banana for the fifth time this course."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "It's the bug eyes, isn't it. They're a challenge to capture? To get the buggy essence of a bug for a change of pace?" Dragonfly grins and her face twitches like it would if she were winking, only no actual wink happens. She presses her lips together in frustration.
    "Still not used to that," she mutters.
    "Well, my face wouldn't change much if you exploded a bomb on it," she continues. "Aside from some carbon scoring that would wipe off with a bit of vigor and a washcloth. I'm largely not possible to hurt. I mean there's ways to do it, but naturally I won't be telling anybody what those are. So The Thing falling on my face was an indignity, not a fatality."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "Not at all, but you don't want just a picture of how you are now, which is fair enough! But it does mean that I want to consider how to capture the duality of your situation with the respect it deserves." Karolina explains, chuckling a little as she fathoms the attempt at a wink,"Goodness. I'm not half that resilient. If the Thing sat on me I expect I would probably spend at least some time in traction. At a minimum. I've not met him, however. My friends and I had... big plans... when we started out, but things happened. And when Xa'vin arrived... I chose to put aside everything else. I sort of regret the missed opportunities there."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Believe me, I'd rather have your aura thing there and lose these eyes than be hard to kill. Being hard to kill means people... keep... trying! It gets annoying. I mean you can't really hurt me, but I'll still go sailing through those fifteen brick walls. And it stings. And I have to worry about the people getting in the way or hurt or worse. It just never ends. I'd rather have something I can do from a distance."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "It is shocking, the proliferation of people with powers who are willing to try and murder others. The difference being that at least you are likely to survive it? Me... I don't know. And I'd rather not find out the hard way." she grimaces, the glow of her eyes dipping at least briefly as she shakes her head and takes up her Reuben again,"It took a while, to learn to control the plasma for that. I can do shields, too. A few other things, but... minor leagues, by comparison."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "There's that guy over in Gotham," Dragonfly says, toying with her liver dip. "He can be hurt. He can't do plasma. He lives on gadgets. He's major league, though, right?"
    Dragonfly looks up, sliding her sunglasses down to regard Karolina with her bare eyes. Some of the other patrons gasp and look away, the gossip buzz suddenly rising. "You don't need powers to be heroic. It's what I'm learning the hard way; I'm trying to be heroic but I'm so GOD-AWFUL at it!"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "Who? Batman?" Karolina can't help but laugh,"He's got more gadjets than I've got shoes. And I never said that I wasn't willing, just that by comparison.. still minor leagues. And I don't see how you could be that bad at it. I mean... people get punched through walls all the time in those kinds of fights. All any of us can do is try not to land on the civilians." the gasps aren't something that particularly draw her attention, that's still held by Dragonfly.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Well, then, that's good! We can be heroic! And maybe someday I'll stop causing more damage than I save!" The words are jocular but the face is "ha ha only serious".
    Dragonfly goes silent a while as she finishes off her sandwich and starts to put a more concerted dent into her pile of chopped liver.
    "There is a good side to this heroing gig. I can do anything I like as Dragonfly and it's gone the next time she shows up. Or I can do anything I like as ... the other one and when Dragonfly shows up I'm fine. I can go out clubbing, get drunk to the point I can barely stand, and still fly home because Dragonfly is stone cold sober."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "Haha, yeh... I usually don't have that problem." Karolina ofers with the barest kind of shrug,"I should see if I can find my old friends, but I wouldn't even know where to start. And that's... nice. I can't say I've ever been that drunk. But... doesn't work like that for me. I'd still be drunk. So, see? Not that bad... is it? You could have wound up with far worse things than an extremely... ah... curvaceous body and insectoid eyes... and... invulnerability and flight and... so on."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "And the ability to juggle airliners. From a distance if need be. Yeah, powers-wise I'm not too bad, but it's a bit irritating that I didn't get anything to help with SEEING or HEARING things from a distance. I'm just a social cripple is all."
    The grin that goes with that is a little less haunted than the one about the side damage.
    "I'm hoping that the Superbuddies can act as a kind of mutual aid society. We're all so broken in our little way, but together maybe we can make a difference."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "I suppose all of us wish we had something just a little bit different. And you're not a social cripple." Karolina assures, reaching out to try and pet Dragonfly's closer arm across the table,"It's always good to have friends with you... especially when heroing. And who else can understand what it's like to deal with all the things that come with it? I mean... so many people want to have powers... but don't realize the cost it takes on basically... any and everything else you might want to do in your life. So... I hope so, too. I hope it works out for you and the others."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Oh, trust me," Dragonfly says, patting the hand on her arm in return, "if you'd met me just a month ago you'd have wondered if I didn't belong in a mental ward. I've just started to adjust, finally. Dragonfly ... she kind of happened to me together with a bunch of other things that left me reeling. As I recovered from those, I was better able to deal with her."
    She snorts.
    "Although I still talk as if Dragonfly is this whole other person, rather than just a different body. Obviously some issues to work through still, no?"
    She looks across at Karolina. "That duality, though ... must be a problem for you too, being a ... Skrull, is it? Princess? And a Majesd... Majista... That other thing. Sorry, first time I've heard of it and I'm American so, you know, foreign words and all."
    She shrugs the "what can you do?" thing.
    "I mean that makes you THREE things. How do you cope?"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    There's a brief burble of laughter from Karolina regarding the comment about mental ward but she doesn't elect to add anything verbally in favor of,"It takes time, to adjust. And no... I am Majesdanian. I am only a princess of the Skrull by marriage. And that an act of diplomacy for peace with my people. But I am American. I was born and raised here. It took time to learn to live among the Skrull, and even more than that to learn what it means to be Majesdanian, but they are... works in process." that she's currently hiding from by coming 'home'. Admittedly.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "So you're an American, a ..." She concentrates. "... Majesdanian. And a Skrull by marriage. Sounds like three things you have to balance. I think you know better than I do how confusing this all is."
    She creases her brow. "Do you ever refer to your other aspects in the third person? That's what worries me most about this Dragonfly gig. I keep talking about Dragonfly as someone else. Even when I'm ... Dragonfly. Like now."

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "No, but this... wasn't something that happened to me. I was born Majesdanian. My family... hid that... for most of my life. It was still... confusing and upsetting, but ultimately... this is who I am. My mind, myself, doesn't change whether I choose to appear in my proper form, or whether I am in a... humanly acceptable form. I don't... change back and forth, in the same way you do. This is what I am, and for a long time I had a bracelet, that hid that from even me. Now I have... learnt to adapt myself instead."

Karolina gestures absently towards the other tables,"And in that regard it's like... putting on a jacket or not. I hated it for a long time, because it's... wrapped up in a lot of other things, and I resented that being taken away from me. But now it's... just part of who I am."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Well, my mind proper doesn't change. It's ... I don't know how to describe it. It's like changing clothes ... but not. It's like ... living out secret fantasies and then being able to just set it aside without consequence. It's a bit seductive, but very scary if you think too hard on it."
    Dragonfly pauses. The chopped liver is the excuse. She continues after slowly finishing the bit.
    "Sounds like we have similar but not the same experience, though. And that sounds like the whole "supers" experience. So much overlap, yet so little commonality. And the egos. The raging egos!"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
    "Well, not so secret fantasies." Karolina offers with a bright laugh,"But.. yes. That's why... I think, so many of us end up grouping together. It's like a help group... only instead of... alcoholics or narcotics it's... how to deal with suddenly being able to do the kinds of things you fantasized about as a kid... without turning into a total dick in the process." pause,"Some people just fail the 'not be a total dick' aspect. And the ones who end up deciding eff everyone else end up becoming villains instead. So if all this only happened a month ago for you... cut yourself a break. It's okay not to be used to it yet. You don't wake up one day just knowing how to handle it all."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "No, a month ago was the low part of my life," Dragonfly says with a chuckle. "I've been ... uh ... this way for about half a year. And yeah, learning how to handle it is a problem. Especially since I wasn't actually wanting this. Someone else did. I got it by accident."
    She wrinkles her brow and looks at Karolina again. "Are you in a group? Or are you alone here? If the latter, why not be part of one?"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
Karolina ohs softly,"I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Still, six months isn't long! I only found out... well, almost three years ago now I guess? Roughly? Intergalatic time zones are hard." she then shakes her head a little, rising to her feet and reaching into a pocket that's hard to see with her radiance to pull out a small purse that doesn't quite inherit the same luminescence as the rest of her,"I was. We called ourselves the Runaways... cos... well, it doesn't matter. I lost touch with them when I left. And I haven't been back for long. I just... haven't found one yet. And I don't know when I might have to go back to deal with my royal duties, instead."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Let's make our own little unofficial mini-group then," Dragonfly says with a giggle. "We'll call ourselves the Dispossessed. Our official meeting space will be whichever restaurant has the food we're most interested in. And we'll spend our meetings talking through our problems."
    She raises her iced tea in a toast. "To the Dispossessed!"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
There's another laugh from Karolina,"The Dispossessed.. hmm?" she collects her tea to offer her own toast back,"Indeed! Unfortunately I should get back to the university... I probably shouldn't skip all my classes today... even if it's really tempting. If I'm out flying again I'll keep an eye out for you?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I'd like that. Next time we can eat ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. I won't gain anything!"
    Dragonfly laughs then and ... reddens. "Ooh, this is stupid. Could you hang on a second? I have to ... uh ... do some stuff. I'll be back shortly."
    Without waiting for the OK, she quickly hits the skies, vanishing from sight. A few minutes transpire and she returns, this time with a clasp purse in her hands.
    "My other self has the purse. I can't get it when I'm in Dragonfly," she says. "Hard to pay for your lunch that way," she explains, as she signals the twice-startled waiter over for the bill. Settled, and left with a large bill, "See you in the skies. You're easy to spot with all your colour!"

Karolina (1108) has posed:
Karolina can't help but laugh at the disappearance and reappearance,"Next time, I can just pay for it. But yes, next time... ice cream! And I suppose I am. Take care, Dragonfly! It was lovely to meet you."